Jaheira1000: OMG I am SOOOO sorry guys. I would have updated faster but I had a back operation cause I was in a car accident. I finally managed to update again though so here it is! Thanx to all who reviewed! Love ya!

Disclaimer: Not mine!

A/N: As from here I'm going to try and put Kai back into character to some extent, but he will be staying as uke!

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CHAPTER THREE: Explanations and Revelations

The next morning, Rei woke up feeling very content. This puzzled him, because normally the morning after his last day of heat he felt like he had a hangover. He felt a slight movement next to him and realized he wasn't alone in the bed. As that realization hit him, he remembered the events of the previous night. He paled instantly and put a shaking hand to his forehead.

How could this happen? While he was stuck in these depressing thoughts, Kai started waking up. Seeing Kai stir, Rei immediately snapped his attention back and awaited the confrontation. He saw Kai sit up and flinch. A surge of guilt went through him as he realized why Kai had trouble sitting. Seeing the look on Kai's face made Rei feel like a worm. He looked like he was about to burst into tears, which surprisingly he did. Rei watched his shoulders shaking and tried to comfort the obviously distraught boy. As he put his arm around Kai's shoulders, he felt him jerk away.

"What are you doing? Didn't you do enough last night?" The terrified questions were the last straw. Kai grabbed a sheet and jumped out of the bed wrapping it around him tightly. He backed away to the closet and snatched the room key before hastily grabbing some clean clothes and fleeing the room. The only thought running through Rei's head was, 'What have I done?'

After dragging himself from the bed, Rei prepared himself to face the others. He knew he had done the unforgivable. As he exited the room he could hear a commotion in the hall outside the bathroom. As he drew near, he could hear Tyson's voice pleading with whoever was on the other side.

"Come on, please open the door. We just want to help." Walking up to the door, he noticed the rest of his team standing there.

"Hey guys, why are you all standing out here?"

"Kai's locked himself in the bathroom and he refuses to come out." Kenny explained. They were all obviously exasperated. They probably thought he was doing it to irritate them. The others noticed Rei's eyes dimming and brimming with tears. He told them what had happened. All they could do was look at him in horror. They couldn't believe what had happened. They tried to reassure Rei while thinking of a way to get Kai out of the bathroom where he had been sitting and crying ever since he left the room.

After a while, they decided to let Kai know why Rei had acted that way. After some debate, it was decided that Rei should tell him about it himself. He walked up to the door and sat down in front of it. The others left to give them some privacy. Rei took a deep breath and slowly started talking about heat and its effects. He told Kai everything, including his feelings and the fact that they were now mated. Halfway through the narration, the sobs stopped and when he was done silence reigned.

After about fifteen minutes of waiting, the bathroom door slowly opened. What Rei saw next would be imprinted on his memory forever. Kai stood in the doorway wearing a grey t-shirt and slacks, both of which were obviously too big for him. He was sniffling slightly and his naturally crimson eyes were red-rimmed. He looked just like a small child. In a word...innocent. But Rei knew he would never be that ever again. He had stolen that from him.

Rei tentatively reached out his hand. Kai flinched slightly before taking Rei's outstretched hand in his own trembling one. It hurt Rei to see him like this. He was usually so strong. Now he just looked vulnerable. He slowly drew him into a hug. As Kai rested his head on Rei's chest, he burst into tears again. Rei felt like the worst of monsters. Shifting his head slightly, Rei noticed something on Kai's left shoulder. He shifted his head slightly to get a better look. As he finally grasped what he was seeing, he swore violently. Startled, Kai flinched away from him.

"What's wrong Rei?" Rei didn't answer. He simply pulled his shirt away to view his own right shoulder. Feeling slightly faint, he pointed out the marks to Kai. They were each about and inch in diameter, and were in the form of a phoenix and a tiger with their tails intertwined.

"But, what are they?"

"These marks are placed there to show that we are now mated. If anyone from my village were to see these you would lose your freedom completely. I had been hoping they would appear in a less visible place."

"Rei, what are you talking about. I get what they are, but why would I lose my freedom?" Rei shook hid head sadly before answering.

"You were uke, which is why your mark is on your left shoulder and mine is on the right. This means that you will officially be considered the 'woman' in the relationship, and that means they would try to keep you in the village. You would be expected to keep your home decent, and...things"

"Rei, how about you cut the bullshit and tell me already."

"Fine. They'd try to make you stay so that we can start a family."

"But Rei, I didn't know your village was into adoption."

"They aren't."

"Then how could we raise a family?"

"Ummm...This is kinda hard to explain. These mating marks originated when our village was founded. It was done so that each villager would end up with his or her true love. However, even though it was frowned upon in other countries, if the mate marks indicated that two men should be together, then that's what happened. The village has therefore always been very open-minded about gay relationships. The only snag was the fact that at one stage there was a higher number of gay couples than normal ones, and our people were in danger of extinction. Our people evolved in certain ways. One of these ways is the fact that male neko-jin can make other males pregnant..."

"WHAT?" Kai's outraged shout cut Rei off mid-sentence.

"There is no way in hell I am having kids!" Rei sighed before continuing as if there had been no interruption.

"Another way is the fact that if a neko-jin is to mate with someone who isn't, they would also become one in order to keep the bloodline clear." At this point, Kai was looking very white, but Rei decided to give him all the bad news now. His final shocker was this.

"I didn't actually want to tell you this, but according to the first evolutional change you might have to...um...well..."

"I may have to WHAT Rei?" Kai ground out in a long-suffering voice.

"You may have to take a pregnancy test." Kai looked up at Rei with a look that plainly said 'Please tell me you're kidding'. Seeing the look, Rei sighed.

"In case you forgot, we had sex last night. There is a chance that you may be pregnant." Kai became, if it was possible, even paler before slumping towards the floor. Rei managed to catch him, and carried him bridal-style to the living room. The other Breakers were there, talking quietly. When they saw Rei carry Kai in, they all rushed to his side demanding explanations. After he told them the newest developments, they all went a delicate shade of green. Rei tried to stay positive and forced a cheerful expression onto his face.

"So, who's going to pick up the pregnancy test for Kai?"

So it was that Tyson, Max and Kenny ended up at the hotels pharmacy. Rei had insisted that they buy at least three, just so they could make completely sure. After buying the tests, the three blushing bladers rushed back to their hotel room. The easy part was then done, since it took them the other two weeks of their enforced stay to convince him just to take the test. He was in the bedroom, awaiting the results of the test while the others were lugging their bags out of the hotel. As Rei came upstairs to check on Kai, the afore mentioned blader staggered out of the room. He only said one thing before collapsing in a heap on the floor.

"I'm pregnant." As he rushed over to Kai, Rei's heart filled with dread. He couldn't believe this. Poor Kai. He hadn't asked for this. He hadn't even wanted or deserved this. As he picked up the alarmingly lifeless body of his mate, Rei shakily made his way to the bus where the others were waiting.

"Rei! What happened? Is Kai alright?" Looking at Tyson's concerned face Rei could only voice his thoughts aloud.

"He's pregnant." The others looked at him in shock. They heard a groan as Kai woke up.

"Wha...Rei? What happened?" He looked just like a puppy whose bone had been stolen by a trusted friend.

"You told me the result of the test and then just collapsed." Seeing Kai's eyes brim with tears, the others truly felt sorry for him.

"Kai?"

"Hm?"

"You do realize what this means don't you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that now we're going to have to go back to my village. They're probably the only people who can help with this. Unfortunately you can't have an abortion since that would kill you." To Rei's surprise, Kai glared at him.

"Listen. I didn't ask for this bloody kid and I don't want it, but that doesn't mean I'll be taking it out on the poor thing. It's not the baby's fault that it's there." Suddenly, the angry look faded, only to be replaced with a sad one.

"I'm sorry. I've just never approved of abortions, and the fact that you believe I would even think about it upsets me a bit."

"That's ok Kai. I just thought you might want to get rid of it since you didn't exactly go through that willingly." Rei looked VERY uncomfortable as he said this. Kai managed a small smile.

"You're right Rei, I'm not sure if I wanted that, but what's done is done. I know you didn't mean to do that to me, so I'm not mad at you. It's the only reason I forgave you. However, that doesn't alter the fact that everything has changed. And as I just mentioned, I have forgiven you." Rei's face brightened immeasurably.

"Thank you Kai. You don't know how much that means to me." They smiled at each other, and the tension finally broke. The rest of the team sighed in relief. Maybe things could still work out for Rei and Kai. It looked like the chances were that Kai would fall in love with Rei after all, but nothing was certain after Rei's loss of control.

Rei was thinking the same. All he needed now was to get Kai to trust him, and he might fall in love with his mate. The Breakers had already informed Mr. Dickenson about the situation between Rei and Kai. Rei had also given Lee a call to prepare him, although he didn't know that Kai was pregnant. He did however, know the possibilities. As a result, they were all on their way for a visit to Rei's village until the child was born.

The bus taking them to the airport was the one they used regularly, complementary from the BBA. The seating arrangement was slightly different however. The rest of the team took their usual seats, while Rei sat on the long backseat with Kai's head on his lap. The younger of the two was sleeping. Rei only knew small parts of what would happen. Kai would slowly develop neko-jin traits such as sharp teeth, eyes that could slit, and such things. He would start showing a bump in another three weeks. In a few more days he would develop morning sickness and start craving strange foods.

He would also feel the need to sleep and have sex regularly. Rei sure as hell didn't mind the last one, but he didn't know how Kai would handle it. He hadn't exactly been willing during their first time, so he wasn't sure what his koi would be doing about it. These were all problems to be solved when they reached the village. They boarded the plane early that morning and reached the neko-jin village that evening. It had also been agreed that none of them would mention the mate marks or the situation, since they didn't want the village elders finding out about it.

The only ones who knew about Kai and Rei being mated were the Breakers and Lee, and they had agreed to keep quiet about it because of how it happened. They felt a bit sorry for Kai who had been forced into it, but they also couldn't help feeling excited about the fact that Rei was finally going to settle down with Kai. They knew how he felt about the young captain, and they were determined to help him win Kai's heart.

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Jaheira1000: There you go! The next chapter will come faster if I get more reviews! -wink wink-

Kai: That's known as blackmail!

Jaheira1000: And your point is?

Kai: O.O

Jaheira: ;P